Spirit, soul and body - what makes up a person

Human spirit, soul and body

According to most Orthodox theologians, human nature has three components. These are spirit, soul and body. They are not isolated autonomous entities, but harmoniously complementary elements of personality. However, before understanding each of them, we should remember the Orthodox understanding of human nature.

Spirit, soul and body - a harmonious person

Man is the image and likeness of God

According to the Holy Scriptures, man was conceived by the Creator as His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). The Holy Fathers taught that the image of God was originally inherent in our nature. Reason, feelings, free will, the ability to create and be creative - all these are Divine properties that we have inherited. Finally, each of us is conformed to the eternal God in that he possesses an immortal soul called to Eternal Life. Let us quote the words of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov):

“God, unapproachable in His greatness, God, surpassing every image, was depicted in man, depicted with clarity and glory. This is how the sun is depicted in a humble drop of water” (“Ascetic Experiences”, volume 1).

The divine likeness, unlike the image, is not given to us from the beginning. But the Creator gave each of us the opportunity to become like God, that is, deification, the achievement of holiness. This is a person’s calling, a goal achieved through diligent moral improvement with the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. However, whether to work on yourself or not is everyone’s personal choice. Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy notes:

“If a person strives for truth, for goodness, for the righteousness of God, then he becomes like God. If a person loves only himself... and does not care about his soul, then he becomes like animals and can finally become like an evil spirit - the devil.”

Soul of man

The soul is immaterial and immortal. It imparts life to the physical body and is the bearer of our will, mind and feelings.

The fate of the soul in the afterlife depends on the spiritual state that it achieved during life with the body (that is, when the person was one). The righteous find final union with God in paradise. Unrepentant souls who became slaves to sinful passions severed their connection with the Lord during their lifetime. Therefore, in the afterlife they continue to be in the power of evil spirits - in hell. Venerable Isidore Pelusiot teaches:

“The soul is not perceptible to the eye (because it is invisible), but it imparts strength and strength to the body; upon departure, her body not only remains dead, but is also destroyed. Since the beauty of the soul is powerful and invincible when it shines with the proportionality of virtues, on the contrary, the appearance of the soul becomes unbearable and bestial when it accepts the shame of vice.”

Expressions about spiritual beauty and ugliness

There are statuses about the beauty of the soul with meaning, which also mention the antithesis of spiritual perfection - namely, the depravity and ugliness of the soul.

The beauty of the soul fades from deceitful faces, lack of feelings, weakness of desires...
Only life experience helps to develop a sense of beautiful and rotten souls.
You should not reveal the depths of your soul to the first person you meet. After all, if his soul is not pure, he can either become infected with evil or lose faith in humanity.
Behind a beautiful face and slender body there can be a real monster hiding; so the beauty of the spirit is the first thing you need to look for in people, so as not to become a victim of a terrible chimera.
Sometimes physical beauty is combined with spiritual beauty; sometimes the beauty of the soul lives in an ugly body. But there is also a killer combo: when an ugly body is combined with blackness and laziness of the soul.

The human body

The body is material and has been perishable since the fall of man. This is not only a vessel, but also an instrument of the soul in the physical world, the executor of our mind and will.

There is an erroneous opinion that the spirit and soul are exalted in Orthodoxy, while the flesh is humiliated and even considered as the source of sin. However, the body itself is not sinful. Vices nest in the soul, allowing it to be subordinate to the flesh. The sinner breaks the connection with God and replaces spiritual food with a substitute from the material world. This is how a person becomes susceptible to bodily temptations: gluttony, fornication, idleness, etc.

The flesh must be bridled, but it is also called to deification and salvation. Christianity does not humiliate the body, since the Lord Himself, through the Incarnation, took on human flesh. The sanctification of our entire nature took place - not only on the spiritual, but also on the bodily level. The Apostle Paul says:

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God both in your body and in your soul, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

During the Second Coming of the Savior, the bodies of all people will be resurrected in a renewed form for life in Eternity.

Phrases for all occasions

Statuses about the beauty of the soul can reflect completely different aspects of human existence, which touch on the question of a person’s inner harmony and the level of his spiritual development.

The beauty of a person’s soul is reflected in his playlist - his favorite music touches the strings of the heart...
Some people had to be born two centuries ago. After all, the beauty of the soul has not been in fashion for a long time.
People do not immediately see the beauty of the soul; however, it is still much more useful than an attractive appearance.
The beauty of the soul captivates forever. It's impossible to cool off on her.
Only naturalness and adherence to the truth can create true sublimity of spirit.
Human beauty is determined by character. And we tend to choose for ourselves those whose character evokes higher feelings in us.
We admire the beauty of the external, but in reality there is a spiritual idea behind it.
Beauty brings peace and tranquility to the soul.
It is impossible to create something beautiful if you yourself do not possess the beauty of the spirit.
The sky turns red at sunset and dawn. A person who is characterized by the beauty of the soul is the same in sorrow and in joy.
A bouquet of flowers is much more expensive if the love and beauty of the soul are invested in the gift.
Mental purity does not mean the absence of shortcomings: after all, a person who has never betrayed his soul in his life simply does not possess it.
The beauty of the soul lies in following your highest ideal.
In many changes, only the beauty and harmony of the spirit remains eternal.
For one person, money and wealth are the most valuable; for another, the beauty of the soul allows him to notice the stars in the sky, grass and meadows under his feet, the rays of the sun on his palms.
What is the beauty of the soul? This is the corresponding harmony of strength and compassion in man.
The beauty of a person’s soul is easy to measure: you just need to pay attention to the depth of his feelings.
The soul of a person who is kind and has pure thoughts is beautiful. Such a person is able to resist evil.
The beauty of the human soul is kindness in its active form.
It is impossible to know the beauty of the spirit. It can only be felt, felt.
Sometimes you meet people who are like large windows in the darkness of the night - they are beautiful precisely because of the light that comes from their souls...
Sometimes you meet people with truly beautiful souls. Having come into contact with them just once, you will never forget their look. And you will always try to find something similar...

Spirit of man

This is not an independent “component” of a person, but a part of his soul. Spirit and soul - what's the difference? Orthodoxy views the spirit as the highest power of the soul, ensuring human communication with God. The soul is responsible for the “horizontal” connections of a person with the world (the area of the spiritual), and the spirit is responsible for the “vertical” connection with the Almighty (the area of the spiritual). Saint Theophan the Recluse teaches:

“The spirit, as a force emanating from God, knows God, seeks God, and finds peace in Him Alone. By some spiritual, intimate instinct, ascertaining its origin from God, it feels its complete dependence on Him and recognizes itself as obligated to please Him in every possible way and to live only for Him and by Him.”

Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskaya, talking about what the soul and spirit of a person is, notes that the latter manifests itself in us in the form of fear of God, conscience and thirst for God. Man is called to ensure that his spirit is saturated with the Lord and nourishes his soul. She, in turn, must nourish the body.

*** For a woman, a figure is a source of beauty. *** A woman “in the juice” is a harmonious combination of height, weight, age and figure, and numbers are not the most important thing here. *** She wanted a beautiful figure, a flat tummy, a collarbone and space between her thighs, but her soul demanded sausage. *** Every woman probably has a thing, be it a dress or a miniskirt, that lies on the far shelf and when you find it, you will definitely try on this beauty... until you get upset and back until next time.))) *** Happy and Confident Women, Beautiful in any situation, regardless of WAIST and HIPS VOLUME!!! *** The more sex, the better the figure, the better the figure, the more sex. Ideal system. *** I wanted something sweet, tasty, but not to spoil my figure... I went and cooked a sausage and made a cucumber salad. *** Only after giving birth does a woman begin to understand that before giving birth she had an awesome figure) *** Nothing can spoil a good figure!!! And I don’t feel sorry for the bad one... *** I don’t care about the figure - if the HEAD is not a STUPID. *** I'm sick of you! Your figure beauty! I breathe your character And I live only by you... *** “Perfect figure!” - thought Pinocchio, stroking the log. *** Sooner or later you have to choose, either big boobs or a flat stomach. *** Look at the figures of most men after 30, and they haven’t even given birth! *** Nothing makes you look slimmer than not eating! *** I decided to eat... What do I care about a waist that no one is holding on to? *** I asked forgiveness only from my figure... for pancakes and pies)) *** What can I say about my figure? Oh, I not only saved my girlish figure, but even doubled it! *** It's better to be a fool, but with a good figure! *** I have an Amazing Figure. There is something to shock...))) *** FOR A WOMAN, HAPPINESS WITH TEARS IN THE EYES IS WHEN YOU TOOK OUT YOUR FAVORITE PANTS FROM THE CLOSET, AND THEY ARE GREAT! *** - Your figure is... chiseled! - AHA!!! I ache at night...)) *** Apples make your face and figure fresher, not fatter! *** They said you were fat... Eat them!!! *** Girls, if you eat a lot, you can notice that all your beauty seems to go... into the ass!!!)) *** You can’t eat sweets at night... The rule is the rule!... I’ll go melt a chocolate bar and drink … *** “At a certain age, a woman has to choose - either her face or her figure. I chose the face. And the rest... I’m sitting on the rest.” *** Eat sweets - don't be a STUPID!!! A more beautiful woman... WITH A LUXURIOUS figure!!! *** A beautiful figure does not mean having a flat body, long legs, large breasts, a plump and short girl can have a beautiful figure! *** All our lives we have adjusted one thing to another, one ideal figure to another, just to maintain the illusion of an ideal life. *** In order to maintain a good figure and human relationships, you need to perform the same action: CLOSE YOUR MOUTH IN TIME. *** Do you think that my figure is far from ideal? No... your ideals are far from my figure! *** If a woman is fat and clumsy, then it is quite possible that the problem is in her husband, because a wife is a sculptor for her husband, here any curve is his merit... *** The woman she loves has all her curves pretty and in the right places! *** Losing weight is easy. It's hard not to eat for this!!! *** You are so slim, I would like your figure, I would eat, eat and eat - I would ruin such a figure... *** Some people have 90-60-90, well, but for me everything is sexy-sexy-sexy! !!)) Statuses about a figure and statuses about a beautiful figure *** I found the parameters of an ideal figure on the Internet... I measured myself... I discovered several serious mistakes in them...))) *** I didn’t take care of my figure so that now I could ruin it with a diet ... *** A woman should have a figure like a guitar - wide hips, a narrow waist, large breasts... - no legs, with a belly button halfway up, a long neck and six ears, yeah... *** Most people watch their figures chess players. *** I have a little bit of everything, which means I’m perfect! *** — What’s your new swimsuit? - Striped... - Won’t your butt look like a watermelon? - It will be... - Cool... And breasts are like watermelons, right? - No, like a gooseberry... *** I have shapes! What am I doing to support them? I eat at night and don’t spoil my figure with sports :))))) *** Fashion, like architecture, is a matter of proportions. *** Don’t be offended girls that there is a lot of weight in the body - it is another reason for male interest!!! *** Some people grow flowers in their dacha, some grow vegetables... But for some reason, nothing grows except my butt! *** I don’t want to lose weight! I want to be visible from afar!!! *** Free cheese ruins your figure 2 times faster! *** My legs are not that beautiful, I just know what to do with them... *** No matter how much you twirl in front of the mirror, it won’t make you any thinner! *** When you are on a diet, you often hear the buns in the store whispering: “Eat me.” *** Every summer there is a seasonal exacerbation of the inferiority complex. *** Cats keep very great secrets. For example, how to eat and sleep all day and not gain weight. *** Over the years, her Eva costume... began to resemble a Chinese down jacket))))) *** To maintain a good figure, a woman needs only three things: a trainer, a massager and a boyfriend. Especially the boyfriend... He's a simulator... He's a massager! *** It would be nice to lose weight on credit! Today you lose 15 kg, and then you go on a diet for two months!!! *** Chocolate spoils your figure, and its absence spoils your mood! *** Everywhere they talk about losing weight, about the belly, the waist... One man I know said: It’s better to swim on the waves than to hit the rocks!!! *** If a woman weighs 140 pounds, her greatest pleasure is to see a woman who weighs 150. *** The best way to maintain your figure is to take photos on time! *** The figure is either there, or... there’s no need to eat it! *** You can not only breathe deeply, but also be proud! *** I WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT! I decided to take even more space in my husband’s life. *** I have a figure like a god! True, like a Buddhist, but does it really matter! *** To keep your figure slim, share your food with the hungry. *** I realized that I needed to take care of my figure when, closing my laptop, I pinched the fold on my stomach... *** The most delicious thing in the world is to feel slim! *** And while on a diet, you suddenly look in the refrigerator and immediately realize that you, in principle, have a good figure, even good... just perfect)) *** For women, size matters, especially in the summer. *** I dedicate this status to every lonely girl! You are extraordinary! You are sweet and priceless! Zay, everything will be fine! Statuses about a figure and statuses about a beautiful figure

Violation of the hierarchy of spirit, soul and body

If a person does not strive for God and salvation, then the hierarchy of his components is violated. The spirit begins to live by the soul (not spiritual, but spiritual values), and it begins to live by the body. In such an unnatural state, the flesh begins to look for food in soulless matter and ultimately finds suffering and death. The spiritual death of the individual occurs - just as any system (organism, mechanism) fails due to a violation of the order of its connections. Hieromonk Seraphim (Kalugin) speaks about the human spirit:

“When the lower (spiritual) prevails over the higher (spiritual), it absorbs and exhausts it, but when the higher prevails, it enriches and directs the entire human composition towards God. A spiritual person is certainly developed spiritually, it’s just that the light of the transformed spirit overshadows the actual spiritual wealth. Spiritual development ensures the correct development of the soul.”

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